Powermadd 3" Universal Pivot Riser Adapt Er - 45400 on 2040-parts.com

VW will build small run of XL1 plug-in hybrid

Volkswagen will begin production of its XL1 plug-in hybrid in two years. "We want to go into series production with this car starting in 2013," VW chairman Ferdinand Piech told Automotive News Europe on Tuesday at an event in Doha, Qatar, ahead of the 2011 Qatar auto show where VW unveiled an XL1 prototype. (a href="http://www.autoweek.com/article/20130221/GENEVA/130229972">Read the latest update here announcing the XL1 hybrid's Geneva Auto Show debut).

Official claims Fisker Karma to blame in Texas house fire

Last week, a fire badly damaged the home of a new Fisker Karma owner, and authorities are saying that the electric car was the source of the blaze. According to Fort Bend County, Texas, chief fire investigator Robert Baker, the Fisker Karma started the fire that spread to the house. “Yes, the Karma was the origin of the fire, but what exactly caused that we don't know at this time,” he said.

Weird Chevrolet pickup roadster hot rod probably inspired the SSR

Here's a thought: If you've ever wanted to be buried in what you're driving, it's a boon if your car is already shaped like a coffin. Behold this "cute little roadster," which resembles the unholy union of a Ford T-Bucket and a mechanical pencil lead dispenser and probably will make its way into a Jimmy Buffet video. (Click here if the ad goes down or if one of the Autoweek editors snaps it up first.) A 1972 Chevrolet pickup truck is scattered in there, somewhere after the bowtie-shaped everything.